After the pleasant surprise, Ye Xuan was left with pure astonishment.
"Senior Array Fool’s theories are truly terrifying," he mused. "I had no idea how to set up a Concealing Array, yet I figured it out myself through sheer luck. If that’s the case, as long as I have the talent, I can learn any type of Array. It’s just a pity that Arrays require a fleeting spark of inspiration. Without it, a single day of studying could drag into a year, or even a decade or a century..."
Ye Xuan knew his success just now boiled down to luck. He wouldn’t be so fortunate next time.
Glancing at the sky, he saw the sun hanging low on the horizon. It was time to head to the auction house. The auction would commence after sunset, and getting there early meant he could consign his Demon Spirit Pills.
Ye Xuan recalled Blood Princess back into the Demon Subduing Scripture and headed to the auction house with Hua.
The venue was somewhat secluded, but by the time they arrived, a large crowd had already gathered outside the main entrance.
"Brother, need to buy an auction guide? It only costs one Frenzy Soul Crystal! Fair prices, no scams," a young man immediately approached Ye Xuan to pitch his wares the moment he reached the door.
"An auction guide?"
"That’s right! My guide details all the excellent items highly likely to be auctioned off this time. I won’t claim it’s a hundred percent accurate, but it’s at least eighty percent right."
"Highly likely?" Ye Xuan was left a bit speechless. A single guide cost a Frenzy Soul Crystal, and it was only for items that *might* appear. This guy was out of his mind for money.
"Do you think it’s too expensive, brother? Then give me a hundred Strong Soul Crystals, and I’ll sell it to you."
"Not interested," Ye Xuan refused flat out, then made his way to the ticketing hall.
To enter the auction house, one had to purchase a ticket first. A ticket cost fifty Frenzy Soul Crystals. This price was absolutely not low. A Cultivator in the Frenzy Spirit Realm wanting to attend the auction would have to cough up a hefty sum. Of course, this paltry amount of Frenzy Soul Crystals was mere pocket change for Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan spent a hundred Frenzy Soul Crystals on two tickets before approaching a staff member. "Excuse me, where do I go to consign items?"
"Sir, do you wish to consign items? Please follow me." The staff member was very polite. He led Ye Xuan down a corridor, which opened up into another large hall.
In the middle of the hall were rows of stone benches, flanked on both sides by small rooms, each less than ten square meters in size. Almost all the room doors were closed, with numbers from one to ten painted on them.
At that moment, the door to Room One opened. The Cultivators sitting on the benches instantly jumped to their feet and swarmed toward the entrance like a flock of sheep.
"Elder Jiang, I have a fine item to sell!"
"Elder Jiang, pick me, pick me! I have a peerless treasure that requires your appraisal!"
Ye Xuan turned his head and saw an old man standing at the doorway. With his grizzled hair and white beard, he exuded an ethereal, sage-like presence.
"Don’t push, one at a time." The old man surveyed the crowd, ultimately locking his gaze on a middle-aged man. He spoke calmly, "The item in your hands is quite interesting. Come in."
Overjoyed to be singled out, the middle-aged man hurried into Room One. Those who weren’t chosen looked disappointed and trudged back to their seats.
But before they could even settle down, the door to Room Three opened. The crowd immediately dashed over, hoping the appraiser inside would review their items.
"Is this a footrace?" Ye Xuan was astonished. He hadn’t expected the consignment hall to be even more crowded than the ticketing hall. Every time a door opened, people shoved their way in, terrified that their items would miss out on this auction.
Perhaps it was a stroke of good luck, but Ye Xuan had only taken a few steps inward when the door to Room Five cracked open. His eyes lit up, and he crossed the distance to the door in a single stride.
After a middle-aged man walked out, a bespectacled old man came into view. He peered outside and said in a hoarse voice, "Next..."
As soon as he spoke, Ye Xuan immediately interjected, "Senior, I have an item to sell."
The old man glanced at Ye Xuan and instantly averted his gaze. Even though Ye Xuan was standing right in front of him, it was as if he was completely invisible. Then, the old man reached out, his finger pointing right past Ye Xuan’s head. "You. Come in."
He was pointing at a scar-faced middle-aged man, who clearly looked like the tough and taciturn type.
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. Was this old man ignoring him? "Can’t you see me?" he couldn’t help but ask.
The old man replied coldly, "Young man, what qualifications do you have to be seen by me? I’ve seen plenty of youths like you. Letting you in would just be a waste of my time." With that, he turned and went back inside.
SLAM. Shortly after, the door was firmly shut.
Ye Xuan’s expression soured. He was just trying to consign an item, yet someone was acting like a total snob?
"Hahaha, little brother, getting selected for consignment today isn’t about being fast. You’re too green. Have your elders come instead."
"That’s right. It would have been fine if you came earlier, but the auction is about to start. The consignment managers can’t afford to waste time on you. What good items could a youngster possibly have? It’s not like you’re a genius from the Mou family," the crowd chimed in.
Ye Xuan remained silent. Suddenly, he looked over at Room Nine. Its door was wide open, but for some reason, no one was going in. Though he didn’t know the situation, Ye Xuan couldn’t be bothered to wait around. He turned to Hua and said, "Wait for me here."
Without another word, he walked straight into Room Nine.
Inside sat a young woman. She appeared to be about nineteen years old. Perhaps out of sheer boredom, she was propping up her chin with one hand and idly biting on a pen. Inwardly, she was incredibly frustrated. With so many people outside, not a single one had come to her room. Weren’t they giving her any face at all? Was her performance going to be a big fat zero again today?
"I can consign items here, right?" Ye Xuan’s voice suddenly rang out.
The young woman’s eyes lit up instantly. She sprang to her feet. "Of course! Please, come in."
She practically rushed over to his side and enthusiastically ushered him inside, looking as if she were terrified he might change his mind. Once he was in, she immediately closed the door and locked it. To an uninformed observer, it might have looked like she was about to eat him alive.
The commotion drew everyone’s attention in the hall. Someone couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Someone actually went into Room Nine! It’s that hothead from just now."
"That kid must be new here. He has no idea that the manager of Room Nine is just practicing. She’s notoriously bad at telling the good from the bad. Even if that kid actually has a decent item, it’s going to end up being sold as scrap."
"Yeah, the last time someone consigned a Treasure Sword with her, this female manager sold it as a Profound Level weapon. In reality, it was a Low-Grade Ghost Level weapon!"
"I heard about that too. During the last minor auction, there was a heavy downpour. The buyer had just stepped outside and hadn’t gone far when the sword was exposed to the rain. The hard outer shell melted away entirely on its own, revealing the Treasure Sword’s true form! That blade could slice through steel like butter—an authentic Ghost Level Treasure Sword! Selling a Ghost Level weapon as a Profound Level one... the guy who consigned it burst into tears on the spot."